Imprgveivient i



A. T. BIGALOW.

GAR-COUPLING..

No. 189.334. Patented'A,pril10,,1877.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 189,334, dated April10, 1877; application filed April 2, 1877.

ful Improvements in Oar-Couplings; and I do.

hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art towhich it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and inwhich Figure l is a side elevation. Fig. 2 is a front elevation, andFig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all thefigures.

This invention relates especially to automatic car-couplings, to thesuccessful operation of which it is essential that the drawheads, whenthe cars come together, should be on the same level; and it consists,besides the improved construction of the coupling itself, as hereinafterdescribed, in the means for raising and lowering the draw head to anydesired height, which I shall now proceed more fully to describe.

In the drawings, A is the end of a railwaycar, and B is the buffer-stemunder the body thereof. The buffer-stem B has a deep longitudinalrecess, 1;, the sides or walls of which, a a, have slots 0 c, as shown.0 is the drawhead, the stemof which, D, passes into recess b of thebuffer-stem, where it fits nicely, but in such a manner as to slidefreely up and down. The stem D of the draw-head has on the sidesprojections or flanges, passing through slots 0 0, thus retaining thestem and draw-head in position, and provided with guide-bars d d, whichinsure steadiness of motion when the draw-head and stem are moved up anddown, and keep the coupling steady while in operation. f is a metallicplate, placed in front of the recess 11 in the buffer-stem, under thestem of the drawhead. It is secured to the ends of the arms 6 e of abail, G, one of which arms, 6, slides in a perforation in the bottom ofthe bufferstem, while the other, 6', passes outside thereof. g is ascrew, journaled in bail G, and passing through a screw-threadedperforation in the bottom of the buffer stem, reaching metal plate f,against which it works,

It has at its lower end a crank or crank-wheel. h, by which it may beeasily operated.

The operation of this part of my invention will be readily understoodfrom the foregoing description, and by reference to the drawings heretoannexed.

In order to raise or lower the draw-head and stem 0 D to any desiredelevation, it is only necessary to turn the screw 9 by its crank h.If'it is to be raised the plate f, pressed against it by the screw, willforce it in an upward direction, while if it is to be lowered its ownweight will cause it to follow the plate as it is moved down by theoperation of the screw.

While it is obvious that my improved adjusting device may be used foralmost every kind of car-coupling, it is specially adapted to the oneshown in the drawing, which combines simplicity with durability and easeof operation.

The draw-head O has a longitudinal slot, in which is pivoted at itsfront end a bolt, I, the downward-projecting front end (or lip) ofwhich, 42, forms the coupling-pin. The link, which is of the ordinaryconstruction, being first placed in position in one draw-head, will,when the cars come together, enter the draw-head of the next car, whichhas been previously adjusted to the proper height. The result is thatthe lip i is forced back (lifting the rear part of bolt I) sufficientlyto allow the passage of the link into the drawhead, when the weight ofbolt I causes it to fall back into its original position, thus lockingthe coupling. For uncoupling, the bolt I may be operated by cords orchains, as

' shown in the drawing, or by suitably-arranged cally-adjustabledraw-head (J, having stem D,

provided with laterally-projecting brackets and guide-bars d d,substantially as and for the purpose herein shown and specified.

2. The combination of the longitudinallyjusting-screw 9, all combinedand arranged to operate substantially in the manner and for the purposeshown and specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixedmy signature in presence of two witnesses.

ASHER T. BIGALOW.

Witnesses WM. BAGGER, 0.. A. SNOW.

